1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an information input apparatus. More particularly, it relates to an information input apparatus whereby, when a second type of information has been input in a format added to a first type of information, after having recorded the first type of information with header information including the input date and time of the first type of information, addition of information can be performed easily by recording the second type of information while annexing header information identical to or related to the first type of information.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, it has been made possible to record video images and sounds on magnetic tape (video tape) using devices such as a video camera.
Furthermore, as a type of information input apparatus to photograph objects, electronic cameras have been used widely that convert the photographic images into digital image data and record it on recording media such as memory cards. Certain conventional digital cameras have a sound recording function. However, such conventional digital cameras record sounds only in a predefined time period for each photographic image when operating the sound recording switch while photographing the objects.
Among the conventional electronic cameras discussed above are those having the function (sound recording time modification switch) of modifying the sound recording time for one frame of the photographic images, e.g., to 15 seconds, 10 seconds, 5 seconds, etc., and the user can set the desired sound recording time per frame of the photographic images by operating this modification switch.
Furthermore, there is also technology that records video images and sounds on a 2-inch, so-called still video floppy. In this case, to record simultaneously the video images and sounds, it is necessary that the tracks on which the video images are recorded be next to those on which the sounds are recorded.
With conventional digital cameras, when first photographing video images using a video camera and thereafter adding sounds to those video images, such operations become complicated since it is necessary to rewind the video tape to the position where it is desired to add the sounds. Furthermore, it is necessary to record the sounds while synchronizing them with the video images recorded in that position. Similar operations become necessary even when the sounds are recorded first and the video images are added thereafter.
Additional problems occur when recording video images and sounds using conventional electronic cameras. For example, to record sounds when photographing objects in continuous mode, such as when photographing at 30 frames per second, it is necessary to synchronize the sound recording time per frame to the photographic interval of one frame (1/30 seconds).
When reproducing recorded photographic images and sounds wherein the recording time of the sounds per frame is shorter than the photographic interval at that time, the sounds that get reproduced are disconnected (continuous sounds are not reproduced).
Additionally, when the recording time of the sounds per frame is longer than the photographic interval at that time, once again there is a lack of synchronization between the images and the sound.
Conventional information input apparatus do not include a means for setting the sound recording time to be equal to the photographic interval of each frame in continuous mode, even when using the sound recording time modification switch mentioned above.
Another inherent problem with conventional information input technology such as the still video floppy mentioned above, is that in order to add sounds to recorded video images, it is necessary to empty the tracks next to the tracks on which the video images are recorded, and thereafter to record the sounds on those tracks. Such operations are complicated and time consuming.